Hundreds of shoppers head to the mall as non-essential COVID-19 restrictions ease in Winnipeg

Canada

CF Polo Park mall was buzzing with shoppers Saturday, the first day Winnipeggers were able to buy non-essential items once again in stores.

Under the  new public health orders , which went into effect at midnight Friday, moves to ease COVID-19 restrictions include allowing hair cuts, buying of non-essential items in stores and the allowance to have two designated people visit your house.

Physical distancing signs, hand sanitizing stations and crowd control were being overseen by mall employees to help keep the spread of COVID-19 low.

“I’m happy but a little afraid because for so long we have all these restrictions and now we see people, so many people in one place,” shopper Marie Mendes said. “It’s a kind of weird, weird feeling you know.”

Outside of the mall, White Pine Bicycle Co. store owner Brendan McAndrew said he’s excited to be able to sell more items in store, but the restrictions have come with unique challenges of their own.

“It’s good,” McAndrew said. “[But] it almost makes double the work when you prepare your websites for having all of that stuff available because everybody still wants the free delivery. And now they can also come in the store so it can’t be a mess anymore like we’ve had inventory just all over the place, set up so that when somebody orders something online it’s right there and ready to go.”